Exclamation

£2.40

A greeting card for every day featuring the etymology of the exclamation mark.

– Blank inside for your own message
– Printed in the UK on premium card stock
– Supplied with a white envelope

In stock

SKU: C0274 Category:

Description

Exclamation

Exclamation is a greeting card for every day featuring the etymology of the punctuation mark.

As the card explain in the text, the exclamation mark comes from ‘io’, which is the Latin word for ‘joy’.

For some reason lost in the mists of time, the two letters were placed one on top of the other for emphasis. And eventually they became a punctuation mark in their own right. So an exclamation mark a way of saying ‘Oh, joy’ at the end of a sentence.

Personally, I think that is a great way to look at sentences in a new light. For example, what should I understand when I read the following sentence?

“Agatha, I am warning you. Stay away from my father get out of here!”, said John

Am I supposed to understand that John was in a happy mood and intended ‘Oh, joy’ at the end of his sentence? I sincerely doubt it. Here he was threatening Agatha, and warning her. Oh joy, just doesn’t cut it, somehow. So plainly the meaning behind the exclamation mark has moved on from the days of ancient Latin.

SKU: C0274

Exclamation mark and an explanation of its etymology from the Latin 'io'
Exclamation
£2.40